40 years of concerts in Rusty’s park
June 2, 2022 | By Gwenna Peters 
A summertime crowd enjoys the farmers market and a concert at Rusty Parker Memorial Park. Photo by Gordon Miller
This summer marks 40 years of concerts at Rusty Parker Memorial Park in downtown Waterbury. But who was Rusty Parker, and how did the musical tradition begin?
Parker, whose real first name was Craig, was beloved for decades as a host on the WDEV radio station where he was general manager for over 30 years. He also called Waterbury home.
Nicknamed for his red hair, Parker started his career at WDEV in 1943 at age 16, broadcasting shows for early risers and farmers at 5 a.m. In interviews, those who knew him spoke of his distinctly Vermont sense of humor — dry and understated.
On air, he shared his quick wit. For example, he liked to tell stories of things he had found in his morning coffee. One morning, he told listeners he had sent a sample of his coffee to a state lab. The reply from the state, according to Vermont broadcaster Ken Squier was, “We do not know about coffee but get that horse to a vet — his sugar is bad!”
Craig "Rusty" Parker in an undated photo courtesy of WDEV.
Parker would famously combine humor with reporting both sides of the story. Once, when reporting on the first day of hunting season, he called a deer for comment on his rotary phone. WDEV still continues that tradition each opening day.
Parker belonged to the Waterbury Rotary Club and held the role of secretary for years. Each week, he’d type up meeting notes on a Pica typewriter, draw a caricature on the page to accompany the topic, and mimeograph a copy for each rotary member. In minutes detailing a discussion of the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base in 1963, Parker doodled twin missiles shooting over the mountains and soaring toward a funny-faced moon.
The organization keeps seven years of his notes in its archives, and in them you can see his commitment to accuracy and artistry at work. This was obviously a labor of love.
On the morning of Friday, January 29, 1982, Parker was in the middle of his morning broadcast when he had a heart attack. A doctor passing by the studio who had been listening to the morning show rushed to help before an ambulance arrived.
The radio host made it to the hospital, but it was too late. He died two days later on Jan. 31, 1982. He was 55 years old. His funeral was attended by hundreds and WDEV broadcasted the service.
In addition to his career at WDEV and membership in Rotary, Parker had been a prominent figure in the community with numerous other roles including two decades on the Board of Selectmen, service on boards of a local bank and Central Vermont Hospital; a U.S. Army veteran, he belonged to the American Legion; he was a member of the Congregational Church and a licensed funeral director and president of the V.L. Perkins Company, the town’s funeral home still in operation today.
Following his death, the Rotary Club decided to create a memorial to Parker — the park that now bears his name. For years the club had been trying to rehab a rundown plot of land which had at different times been a railroad storage area, ice rink, and tennis courts. With Parker’s death, they found a galvanizing purpose. In May 1983, just over a year after Parker died, Gov. Richard Snelling attended the park’s dedication.
Thanks to successful fundraising, the Rotary Club decided to start a summer concert series in the park, too.
Forty years later, it’s still going strong.
Concerts in the Park schedule
The 2022 Concerts in the Park series opens tonight, June 2, at Rusty Parker Memorial Park in downtown Waterbury.
As usual, the free concerts will overlap with the Waterbury Farmers Market, held from 4-7 p.m. on Thursdays in the summertime. The market opened last week and will run through Sept. 8.
Tonight’s concert and the June 9 concert both have a 5:45 p.m. start time to allow for special presentations before the music begins. Starting June 16, they will begin at 6 p.m. and all dates have an 8:30 p.m. ending time.
Tonight’s opening concert is sponsored by a Revitalizing Waterbury grant and it will recognize Rotary for its 85 years of community service including 40 years of summer concerts and care for Rusty Parker Park. Tonight’s band is Jenni Johnson and the Jazz Junketeers playing American jazz classics, blues, swing, and funk.
Next week, Rotary will highlight its partnership with the Community Band that produced the bandstand for the park and years of performances. The band will perform a 40th-anniversary concert as well.
The rest of the summer lineup is:
June 16: Kerubo plays African folk music, Afro-pop and Afro-jazz, 6-8:30 p.m.
June 23: The John Lackard Blues Band brings the blues and grooves.
June 30: Al's Pals present original tunes and twists on old favorites.
July 7: Men of Distinction play a mix of R&B, funk, and classic dance tunes.
July 14: 4 Play brings classic rock from the 70s, 80s, and 90s.
July 21: Shellhouse plays original tunes mixed with an eclectic selection of rock ‘n’ roll classics.
July 28: Beecharmers put American roots on the schedule along with some bluegrass, old-time jazz, and pop.
Aug. 4: The Party Crashers’ setlist spans generations high-octane grooves.
Aug. 11: Soulshine Review is all about the Allman Brothers.
Aug. 18: Amerikana Blue plays the hits from the baby-boomer generation.
Aug. 25: The Robin Gottfried Band wraps up the series with soulful original rock.
Organizers note that the lineup could change. For the latest information, visit waterburyvtrotary.org/page/concerts online. Any last-minute changes due to weather would also be announced on WDEV radio.
Duxbury resident Gwenna Peters is a Waterbury Rotary Club member and will succeed John Malter as club president starting later this month.